Ayanda Mabulu is internationally recognized for bold, often controversial figurative paintings that speak to injustices and inequalities in South Africa. Since 2010, the self-taught artist has created a series of polemical graphic works depicting high-profile political figures—including former South African President Jacob Zuma—in the nude or engaged in sex acts. These provocative scenes have led to the censorship of Mabulu’s work and resulted in death threats. Mabulu’s paintings’ unique facture comes from a mix of acrylic paint, gold leaf, textiles, and other materials. Black women’s important role in South African society is celebrated in Mabulu’s “Healers” series. The 2018 acrylic-and-gold-leaf portrait, Nontsundu, sold at auction in 2021 for $27,923, depicts a woman cradling her sleeping infant in one arm and holding a gun in the other. Although political caricatures are Mabulu’s most notorious works, his practice extends to sculpture and playwriting. In 2018, the DuSable Museum of African American History staged his first U.S. museum exhibition, “Troublemaker: Art Is Our Only Hope.”